Foxconn Exec Calls iPhone 5 "Most Difficult Device" Ever Assembled

You'd think after manufacturing so many different products that a new iPhone would be a breeze -- but a Foxconn executive claims the iPhone 5 presented the company's biggest challenge to date.The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. -- better known as Foxconn Technology Group -- couldn't prevent supply shortages of Apple's latest iPhone, simply because the device was so difficult to assemble.

“The iPhone 5 is the most difficult device that Foxconn has ever assembled," explained an unnamed official at the company. "To make it light and thin, the design is very complicated. It takes time to learn how to make this new device. Practice makes perfect. Our productivity has been improving day by day.”

There's also the issue of the aluminum back casing on the iPhone 5 being easier to scratch, even while the device is being assembled -- a challenge the executive says only added to their problems.

“It’s always hard to satisfy both aesthetic needs and practical needs,” they remarked.

Earlier this month, two disputes between employees at the company's newer Zhengzhou, China manufacturing plant also contributed to Foxconn's agony, although the company is adamant those incidents did not cause any work stoppage.

The unnamed executive claims that "quality issues" with the iPhone 5 were indeed central to those disputes.

“The Zhengzhou site, which was set up in 2011, is still pretty new to us. We are still learning how to manage the work force there,” the executive concluded.